90 User Reviews of Carnival Pride Cruise Ship

I sailed on the Pride with my Wife and children ages 12, 12, and
15. This was my 8th cruise, I previously cruised with Carnival,
Princess, and NCL.

We had a great vacation and I would recommend this cruise with a
couple cautions. If you want to lay out by the pool this may not be
the cruise for you. Out of three sea days it was only warm enough
to lay out for half a day. You probably will not have this problem
in July and August, but the weather in Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan
will be seriously hot.

The ship is beautiful and well laid out. I thought the food was
excellent (except for the deserts). Everyone working on the ship
was friendly and eager to please. There were no lines to speak of
on this ship. The space to passenger ratio apppeared to be the
better than any other ship I have been on. The main shows were
good, but it ended there. I felt this ship had the least amount of
activities of any ship I previously cruised on. They had a band
from the Philipines in

the Butterflies lounge that was terrible. I never saw more than 8
people in the lounge while they were performing. The Starry Night
lounge had Karaoke every night. The Jazz band played in the corner
of the Lobby Lounge which was one of the only places you could
smoke on the ship. Needless to say you could not breathe there
(Everyone was smoking Cigars). This may be a bit harsh, but I got
the feeling the cruise director Greg Kneale was more interested in
getting you to spend more money than he was in you having a good
time. He was constantly making announcements for you to go buy
something. I had some great massages in the spa, but they are
expensive. The gym equipment is excellent and with the weather I
had plenty of time to use them.

I still prefer the Caribbean, but the ports were a nice change.
My daughter and I went diving in Puerto Vallarta while my Wife and
sons went on the Canopy ride. We all had a great time. In Mazatalan
we went Horse back riding on the beach with Randi's Horses and had
a blast. In Cabo we did some sightseeing and snorkling.

We have sailed once previously on the (Smoke-Free) Paradise to
the Western Carribean before, so we had a general idea of how
Carnival caters to the guests. When we arrived at 11:30 am, we seen
the ship (which is considerably larger than the Paradise) for the
first time up close, it was incredible. We pre-registered at the
Queen Mary and got in line for the Fun Pass customers.

At about 12:30 pm, we flew right through the check-in and
boarded. Our room was 8182 (extended balcony), and had plenty of
space to put away everything. My only complaint was the fact the
beds were considerably harder than on the Paradise (which made it
difficult to sleep for the first couple of nights). Since it was
our 15th Anniversary, I had sent a dozen roses to be waiting in the
room for my wife, they were beautiful.

Overall, the ship was kept very clean by the staff, and almost
everytime I passed a Carnival employee, they smiled, said good
morning or good afternoon... etc. In the dining areas (Mermaids
Grill, Normandie, Lido deck, David's Supper Club, etc...), the
staff was very quick to

bus the tables and keep the area clean.

For two days at sea, we spent some time in the casino. Many
table games available, and plenty of slots & video poker.
Having lived in Las Vegas, I would say the slots and video poker
paid out about the same as a Vegas casino. We tried our hand at
trivia several times with cruise hostess, Sara. She was lots of
fun, always smiling, and very helpful.

Puerta Vallarta was as expected, friendly and warm. We took a
cab to downtown from the port, shopped for a couple of hours, then
headed back to get ready for our booked excursion, a Sunset sail. I
would definately recommend this tous as long as you dont get
seasick easily, as it is on a 60 foot sailboat. We were surrounded
by dolphins for a while. It was open bar, and the snacks were
cheese, crackers and ham. Then they served the chips and guacamole,
that was some of the best guacamole I had ever had.

Mazaltlan, we hung out at Stone Island most of the day, lots of
peddlers here, some with decent deals, but most selling the same
thing as everywhere else.

In Cabo San Lucas, we were tendered in from the ship. We walked
around most of the marina, checking out shops along the way. A
friend told us we had to check out the Giggling Marlin for
pictures, so after asking around, we stepped in, it was still early
(11:30am), but asked if we could take pictures. A gentleman at the
door said no problem, that there is no charge. They hung my wife by
her ankles and took the photos for us (the background is that of a
marlin holding up his catch), but as they were taking down my wife,
I offered $3 each for their help as a tip. The gentleman at the
door said we agreed to $20 each!!! An outright lie!!! Disappointed,
I set down the $6, took back my camera and we walked out. I would
definately avoid that place again. Next we walked across the street
to Cabo Wabo, that was more like it, friendly waiters and a lively
atmosphere. We had a couple of drinks before we set out exploring
again. After some souveneir shopping, headed back to the ship.

I must say, the two things you cant mis are the "Newlywed /
Not-So Newlywed game" and the "Up Close and Personal",where several
members of the staff are available on-stage for the audience to ask
questions. But be sure to stay after "Up Close and Personal" for
the funniest thing ever (hope you have a video camera).

Debarkation was simple and easy. Overall, I would recommend this
cruise to friends and family

I wanted to post a link to the pictures of our latest cruise on
Carnival Pride, as well as a quick review of our cruise
vacation.

The pictures are located at
http://www.ernstech.com/gallery/cruise04 and contain pictures of
both our stay in Puerto Vallarta and the cruise ship. Why both you
ask? Read on.

To start off, I want to stress the following two points that all
cruisers need to seriously consider: 1. Buy travel insurance. The
headache of missing your ship and being out all that money is not
worth the couple hundred you'd save not buying insurance. Then take
into account any illness or accident while on vacation that the
insurance would cover and it makes even more sense. 2. It is wise
to travel to your port of call the day before you cruise sails. Not
only is it less stressful when dealing with flight delays and such,
but you get on the ship earlier and get to take advantage of the
dining and activities of your ship the day of sailing. You've paid
for it, might as well take advantage of it.

That being said, I'm sure you see where this

review is heading. I had not purchased any sort of travel
insurance, and I was flying the day the cruise was supposed to
leave port. Our cruise on Carnival Pride left Long Beach at 4:00pm
Sunday May 30th. Our airplane was scheduled to depart Tulsa at
7:48am Sunday morning and go through Dallas and onto Orange County.
The flight out of Tulsa was delayed due to a mechanical problem,
brakes didn't work. American airlines began the process of
re-routing passengers on other flights and some on other airlines.
When I got to the front of the line they put my family (wife, 3
year old daughter, and I) on a flight through Chicago which would
arrive in Orange County at about 1:30pm, no problem there. The
flight took off at 8:30am, Tulsa time.

The captain announced several times during the flight that we
were probably going to be in a holding patter due to weather in
Chicago, we started to get concerned. At about 1:00pm the captain
of the plane announced that we were going to land in Des Moines
Iowa to refuel. At this point I was very concerned. Upon landing I
called Carnival, they were no help. I called our travel agent,
BuyCruises.Com, and he immediately got American Airlines on the
phone and started explaining the situation to them. Our only saving
grace to all this was that the first leg of the flight was delayed
due to a "mechanical", which is under the control of the airlines,
weather is not. I had to part from this gripping "discussion" since
we were getting ready to take off again. I told the travel agent
I'd call him back as soon as we landed in Chicago to see what the
verdict was.

After sitting on the runway another hour in Iowa, and after the
short 45 minute to an hour flight to Chiago, we were finally there
sometime around 3:30pm Central time. We had not eaten all day, the
plane had no food (American doesn't even server peanuts to coach
passengers), but luckily we had packed a few snacks for the 3 year
old that the 3 of us shared. I call Todd our agent at
BuyCruises.com and he had some good news and bad news. Bad news was
we were going to miss the ship (we pretty much figured that
already). Good new was that American agreed to pay for us to fly to
Puerto Vallarta and meet the ship at its first port. The flight
left early the next morning. The rep also made all arrangements
with Carnival for us to board the ship in Puerto Vallarta.

To keep this story short, we then found out our luggage was lost
and American gave us an 800 number to call. We got a room for the
night in Chicago and went to eat, we were VERY hungry at that
point. We later found out our luggage was in Orange County waiting
on us. The baggage rep had the bags re-routed to Puerto Vallarta
the next day and they arrived an hour after we did. The next
morning we got up early, wearing the same clothes we had on the day
before, hopped a plane to Puerto Vallarta. American was nice
enough, after more heated discussion, to fly us first class from
Dallas (our connecting city) to Puerto Vallarta because they had
seats available.

We arrived in Puerto Vallarta and were greeted by a rep from the
Marriott CasaMagna (booked the night before via expedia.com from
the hotel in Chicago). We explained our situation with the baggage
and the rep allowed us to sit in her office there at the airport
and wait, avoiding the constant badgering from time-share salesmen
the other travelers were enduring. When the bags arrived an hour
later the rep handled all the details of getting them for us,
getting the through customs and all that. Then put us on a transfer
to the hotel.

We spent two nights at the hotel right on the beach in Puerto
Vallarta. It was a wonderful hotel, and we all (especially my 3
year old daughter) enjoyed the pool and playing on the beach. We
never left the hotel, as they had everything we needed right there.
The swim up bar in the pool was my favorite.

Wednesday morning we got up, packed, and got a taxi to the ship.
It was already there as I didn't account for the time differences.
Port security hand searched our luggage, not a big deal as we
understood the complications with getting on the boat in a foreign
port. We got on the ship right in the middle of the crew life boat
drill so it was a bit crazy at first. We were asked to leave our
luggage there at the security station on the ship and it would be
delivered. We went up to the Pursers desk to get our sail and sign
cards. Everything went fine and we were up to our room in no time.
We went and ate on board, and when we were done our bags were in
our room.

The rest of the cruise went off without a hitch and we had a
great time. After telling our story many times we came to the
realization that we ended up having a better vacation than most
people on the ship. Weather the first two days of the cruise wasn't
that great, and swimming on the ship was out of the question most
of the time. We were able to bask in the sun and swim for two days
straight in a huge pool and on the beach.

To put the icing on the cake, on the flight home, American
Airlines lost our stroller somewhere between Dallas and Tulsa. We
gate checked it, but I don't think it ever made it on the plane.
The next day we got a call and they delivered it to me at work. At
that point I just had to laugh.

----------------------------

Now the review of the ship. This was our second cruise, the last
was three years ago on Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. We
went into this knowing the ship was smaller, but that there were
many things that Carnival did better than Royal (food, kids
program, etc.). I went with the expectation that this would not be
as nice of a ship as the Explorer, but I was there to have fun no
matter what, and we all did. Carnival Pride is a very nice ship.
Very modern, clean, and with all the amenities that most modern
ships have. The décor was, as they say, very Vegas-like.
Nothing wrong with that, it looked nice but was a bit over the top
for me. We had a category 11 suite and it was very nice, but not as
big as I had expected. I do not think that Carnival rooms are any
bigger than similar class rooms on other lines, in fact I thin our
suite (Cat C at the time) on the Explorer was bigger. But that's
been 3 years, so I'm not positive.

My daughter loved the kids camp, they have wonderful people
working there and lots of activities for the kids. She has already
asked when our next cruise will be, so I think she's hooked
already. Carnival does an excellent job with the kids in this
respect.

My biggest complaints about Carnival are the availability of
food and port days. We found it hard to find anywhere on the ship
that served food outside the normal dining times. There were 2 or 3
hour blocks for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and midnight buffet, but
out side that your only option was pizza. Don't get me wrong, the
pizza is excellent, but you get real tired of pizza for snacks in
between meals or at night. I remember on Royal that there was
always part of the buffet open at all hours of the day. The other
gripe was that when the ship was in port, everything on the ship
shuts down. The buffet times were less, only one pool was open,
slide was closed, etc. I even had a hard time finding an open bar
one day. I understand that shops and casino would be closed, but
everything else is was got me. We are not one to sail for the
ports, as we don't enjoy the constant "no thank you , no thanks, no
gracias" we have to spout while walking through town. This time we
took our daughter, and I was very apprehensive about taking her
ashore in these towns as well. We did shop a bit in Cabo, but only
for about an hour.

One other thing I want to mention is the rocking motion on this
ship. We had cabin 8266, furthest aft on the port side of the ship,
top deck. There was a constant "cavitation" in the room, more so
when we were at sea. The worst was on the last night at sea, this
was the only night it actually kept me up for any amount of time.
We got used to it, but it was a bit annoying at times. Also, the
rocking of the ship was pretty bad. Good thing none of us are prone
to sea-sickness. I don't remember the Explorer rocking except one
evening while on the eastern side of the Caribbean island, where
the ocean is typically rougher. On the Pride, anytime we were at
sea, it was rocking, to the point you thought you were going to
fall out of bed at night. One day at lunch the ketchup bottle was
sliding back and forth on the table about an inch or two each way.
It was funny to watch. The point I'm trying to make is that we
NEVER felt this on the Explorer, so I'm not sure if it has to do
with the size of the ship or what, but we definitely felt it.
Needless to say, the two days after we got off the ship were quite
amusing with the typical "why is my living room rocking"
effect.

To compare the two ships (Explorer vs. Pride) is like comparing
apples to oranges, it just wouldn't be fair. Both my wife and I
agree though, that our time aboard the Explorer was a better
vacation than on the Pride. Again, I want to stress that we hade a
GREAT vacation this time, and I have no reservations about the trip
at all, even with the problems to start the trip off with. It ended
up making it a better trip anyway. I just think that for the same
money, we got a bit more service and pampering from Royal Caribbean
three years ago on that vacation. We also noted that when we
disembarked the Explorer, the only thing that allowed us to get off
that ship was that we missed our baby at home (9 months at the
time), if we had her with us I would have probably paid to say on
the ship another week. This time, with our "baby" with us, we were
ready to come home at the end of the trip. I guess it just wasn't
as "over the top" in excellence as the Explorer was. This is not to
say we will never sail Carnival again, it all depends on what we
are looking for at the time. Again, we had a great time on this
ship, and 100% enjoyed our vacation.

One other thing I'd like to add, and kudos to Carnival for this
one, Carnival gave us a voucher while onboard that was 50% of the
unused portion of our cruise, good toward a future carnival cruise
within the next 18 months. I thought that was very nice of them.
Not sure if we'll use it or not, but the gesture was a nice one
anyway.

Well, so much for "quick" wasn't it. I just wanted to tell you
all of our excitement on this trip, and give a little info about
the ship. Again, there's a link at the beginning of this for some
pictures from the trip. I hope you all enjoy the pictures. Feel
free to email me any questions about the trip, I will do my best to
answer anything you send my way.

We always fly into the port city the day before we cruise. That
way we get a good rest and are ready to cruise. Los Angeles is not
my favorite city. My first time there and not impressed at all. But
The Pride was wonderful. The interior is beautiful. The art is
great. The whole ship is perfect. Boarding was a little long. I
heard that the ship was late coming in that morning. It was hot and
we had to wait outside in that blistering heat. not much shade
either. We are a group of 10 all family members. all cousins and
our children all grown.. We finally got on the ship and went to our
cabins and were very happy to see how nice they were. Dropped off
our carry on's and went right up to the buffet line. Great lunch
for us. Went out to the upper deck to see us pull away. Well we
didn't leave for almost 2 hours later then scheduled. But hey we
had nothing better to do then be on

the ship and relax. Okay with us all. The two days at sea were
great. First day was a little cooler but we still went ut on deck
and enjoyed ourselves. Then our stops. Puerto Vallarta was very
nice. We did our own excursion. Well we have never been to the
Pacific Ocean.

Needless to say it was way to rough for us. So we walked to the
beach and didnt stay there very long because of the water being so
rough. So we shopped at the shops on the docks. Had a great time
with that. Next stop was Mazatlan .. Beautiful country for
pictures. We went shopping there too. Best shopping we had of all
three stops. Spent the rest of our days in port on the ship. Had a
great time at the pools. Cabo we did a ship excursion. Took a
catamaran to The Los Arcos. Great trip there too. Then did some
more shopping. Prices were more pricely here in Cabo. But not to
out of line.

Our room service was terriffic. Our cabin steward always greeted
us by calling us by first names when he saw us in the hallways. His
name was Ariel. He was so great. Our food servers were excellent
also. Glean and Abe both from the Phillipines. Remembered our names
and what we like to drink and our salad dressing preferences every
night. Food was jsut as wonderful. We enjoyed it all. Every night
we had the best food possible. all enjoyed it so much,, We had some
great pictures taken and bought some of them also. I want to note
that we were never bothered by waiters for drinks. Actually I was
looking for some to come around more often so I didnt have to go to
the bar myself for a drink. But i know sometimes people complain
that they are bothered too much. Not the case on the Pride. Our
embarkation was painless. Very easy. of course we didnt want to get
off the ship. We all had the perfect vacation. We are all looking
forward tot he next cruise. and are already planning for it.
Carnival gets our business once again. They know how to treat the
customer well. We recommend the Pride to anyone. Great ship great
cruise. great vacation... Cant say enough about it. Happy cruising
to all......... Char

I have to say this was our favorite cruise so far. We have
cruised the western and southern Caribbean ports before. We had
favorite port cities on each. But the Mexican Riviera ports were
all beautiful. It was hard to choose a favorite. We started the
trip by spending the night before the cruise on the Queen Mary. If
you can, stay there. We had an outside, renovated, cabin. The
dining rooms had excellent food, but beware you need to wear formal
attire in 2 of the 3 restaurants. We opted for the more casual one
and it was very nice. The food was good and reasonably priced. The
view of Long Beach from the window was an added bonus. There was a
very nice observation bar with entertainment also on the ship.
After breakfast we took the $6 tour before embarkation. The
embarkation line was very long when we got to it. We did an early
check-in on the Queen Mary (as about ¾ of the passengers did
also)! It does not save time. We were told to get in line around
12:30. Big mistake. By then the lines

were already long and winding. No personnel seemed to be able to
tell us which line was for the passengers that had already checked
in early. It seems both lines had these passengers in them and
embarkation was no easier or shorter for them. Be sure to get in
the line before 12 to save yourself a long and winding trip up to
the front.

SEA DAYS:

Everyone was correct about the 2 sea days being chilly. The
first day was 66 and sunny. The second day was 68 and the sun went
in and out. You could lay out both days in bathing suits, but don't
count on getting too tan on these 2 days. It was ok, as you were
able to get a slight base tan before Mexico. We spent the days at
the aft pool as this pool area was for adults only. Because this
was Easter week, there were over 800 kids on this cruise so this
area was a blessing for us! Those families with kids don't have to
worry though, as there were 3 other pool areas for children. The
last day at sea was very windy and cool. It was too cold even with
sweat suits on to sit outside on the deck. We decided to go on our
balcony. The windshield below the handrail shielded us from the
wind and the sun warmed us. We then decided to pack (boo-hoo).
Since the shops were still open and most of the jewelry and clothes
were now 40% to 50% off, my friend and I decided to "just look"! We
ending up buying though, as a few pieces of jewelry caught are
eye!

PORTS:

As I said all three ports were beautiful. Puerto Vallarta was so
romantic with its palm trees, beaches, cobblestone roads and the
Sierra Madres Mountains in then background. The prices for jewelry
were best here. They got higher as we moved up the coast. Walk a
block from the pier and take a taxi into town for $2 a person. We
had drinks at the Zoo. The restaurant/bar overlooked the street,
the Malecon and the ocean. My friends had a caricature drawn of
them while we sat and had a few drinks. People walked by and looked
at the caricature and then up at us and made comments. It was so
funny. We talked to a lot of new people that day. We ate lunch at
the Blue Shrimp. Excellent. Do this if you can. The shrimp were
huge and delicious. We shopped and then went to the Krystal Hotel
and used their pool. It was a warm and sunny day and the pool area
was beautiful. The beach was rocky though and there was a riptide
so we did not venture in. We headed back to the ship by 5. I am
sorry we did not stay in town longer or do more exploring though.
There is a Wal-Mart not too far from the cruise ship and we stopped
there to buy some coke and pina colada mix to take back to the
ship. If possible, skip dinner on the ship and stay in town. It is
so lovely there. I would also take a shore excursion down past the
Mismoyla Hotel.

Although I have not read many glowing reviews of Mazaltan, we
loved it there. We were awake in the morning as we came into port.
The view of Mazaltan was awesome. We took a taxi (like an open air
golf cart) for $10 into town. Make sure your driver takes you there
by going along the coast. It is a very beautiful and scenic drive
(about 10-15 minutes). We shopped and then went to the El Cid
Hotel. We ate lunch there overlooking the water. It was very good
and reasonable. The pool was gorgeous with waterfalls and bridges.
It was another sunny and warm day. The beach there was ok, but it
was swarmed with vendors. Be warned they tried to charge us over
twice as much for the same items we saw in town. A ball cap with
Mazaltan on it went for $14 and we saw them in town for $6. We
stayed there until 4:30 and then headed back to the ship.

The view of Los Arcos in Cabo is spectacular. We could see it
from our balcony. We were tendered into town here. We booked a
snorkel and sail excursion at 10:15. The water was way too cold to
snorkel and only a few brave souls stayed in the water. The boat
sailed past Los Arcos and Lovers Beach and the view of the beach
with the Sea of Cortez on one side and the Pacific on the other was
neat. You take many pictures of Los Arcos, as it is quite
spectacular. We saw sea lions on the rocks as well as dolphin
swimming next to us. It was a lovely way to spend the morning. We
then walked into town (take a left at the lighthouse). We stopped
into Cabo Wabo (owned by Sammy Hagar) for t-shirts, but it was so
crowded that we decided to eat at The Giggling Marlin for lunch.
They had very good tacos, burritos, etc. We shopped and then had to
catch the 3:00 tender back as the 3:30 tender was the last one. Too
bad the ship does not stop longer here, as there is so much to see
and do.

The SHIP:

I was not really impressed with the décor of the Pride. I
did not mind the nude paintings, but the interior had a cold feel
to it. The layout was easy to get around. The photo areas, as well
as the shops were on the 3rd deck. The Normandy Restaurant, the
casino, the Taj Mahal and most of the bars were on the 2nd deck.
There was a very good singer in the lobby lounge. We listened to
her before and after dinner quite a few times. We were very lucky
to have the band "Shaboom" as guests on this cruise. They played
outside on the Lido deck two nights. We really enjoyed dancing and
singing along with them. The cruise director was fair. Most of his
humor was ho hum. We did not get to see Vroom and the first show,
but had heard both were very good. We did get to see the juggler
and he was very good as well as funny. The comedian was so, so.

FOOD:

I can't say enough about the food on this ship. We had Prime
Rib, Filet Mignon, Chateaubriand, Tiger Prawns and very good Veal
Parmesan in the Normandie. We asked for many of the pasta entrees
as side dishes as they were also very good. Note: Carnival lets you
bring on 3 bottles of wine per person. My husband and I and our
friends each did this. We were able to bring our wine to dinner
ever night including the night at David's Supper Club. They even
held the wine for us for the next night when we were unable to
finish it. They tell you there is a $10 cork charge, but we were
never charged for it. Breakfasts and lunch on the Lido deck were
very good also. I never had the same thing twice. I had a made to
order omelet, French toast, banana pancakes, cereal, and eggs over
easy when I ate breakfast there. We had 2 breakfasts in the
Normandie. I had Eggs Benedict one morning and lox and bagels the
other morning. When eating lunch on the Lido deck there were so
many things to choose from. There was an Asian station (with
Sushi), 24 hour pizza, a burger, steak sandwich and hotdog grill,
deli station, salad bar area, and a buffet lunch area with several
varieties. Ice cream was available 24 hours also. We also went to
David's Supper Club Monday evening. It was romantic and a leisurely
dinner was available. The beef is to die for. If you like steak, go
there. We were so full after that we all had to go to our cabins
and change from formal wear into clothes with elastic waists!!

Debarkation:

This is a very long, drawn out process. You get up at 7 a.m. You
have breakfast at 8 and then you wait and wait and wait until your
color is called. My friends had a plane to catch at 2 and a car
waiting for them at 10:30, but we all did not get off the ship
until 12 noon! We were the last color to be called. They did not
get to the airport until after 12:30. My husband and I were staying
in Beverly Hills that night so we did not care, but if you have a
flight at 2 or before I would make sure you had early debarkation
times.

All in all, the trip was wonderful. Good company, good food and
excellent ports all made this trip our favorite so far.

I was on the Pride from April 4th to April 11th (I wish I was
still on it). She's a great ship, very well designed. I was very
impressed by the comfort and features everywhere I went. The couch
seating in the ship is so comfortable. The only thing I didn't like
were the pools. There are three pools total, and one is an adults
only pool. They aren't too big and the decks around the kids pools
are very slippery. Not only around the pools but throughout the
whole deck where the pools are located become very slippery. It is
dangerous. I noted this on my comment card.

My review probably won't be very helpful in planning your trip
but hopefully it will let you see the fun side of the cruise. It
was my first time on a cruise so I can't compare it but I have no
complaints with Carnival or The Pride. I didn't do any shore
excursions, because I am into surfing and I had planned to surf in
all ports.

I stayed in an interior stateroom with my girlfriend (no kids).
There was plenty of

room and closet space. Our steward was Noel, a very nice Jamaican
man, he gave us very good service and I had him at the top of the
list on my comment card. I personally like that the plumbing in the
bathrooms was great (for some reason I enjoy good plumbing). Beds
are decently comfortable, the rocking of the ship and the darkness
of the interior stateroom made us sleep as though there was no such
thing as daytime.

The staff was excellent. I don't think anyone was an American,
mostly English and people from the Phillipines. All were very
polite and worked hard, most were friendly. Not too many had that
scornful look that comes from dealing with whiny Americans all week
long. A+ in my book.

The food in my opinion was excellent. I felt that the variety
and quality was great. Me and my girlfriend are both vegetarians
and we had about 1/5 the choices anyone else could have but we both
were pleased with all dishes, it wasn't the toppings of other
people's sandwiches in other words. We did miss lunch a couple of
times and started to become unusually sick of pizza. You also get
free apple juice, lemonade, and fruit punch in the Mermaide's
Grill.

The entertainment is very good. A lot of choices, there's shows,
bands, dancing and other things to do. The musicians on my cruise
were very good, our favorites were the butterflies lounge band, the
lead singers in the shows, the jazz band, and the singers in the
Atruim lobby (didn't get to see Lou the piano player so he doesn't
get on the list). The lead singers in the Taj Mahal shows were very
very talented but the dancers were not as quite as exciting
(probably not as easy to dance as it is to sing on a ship). I
definately heard a lot of good music on the cruise. There were 2
comedy acts and one ventriloquist, both comedy acts were very funny
but the ventriloquist wasn't a very good act. The cruise director
speaks to the audience at the Taj Mahal shows and over the ship's
intercom about entertainment throughout the whole week.

In Puerto Vallarta we rented a car. There was a dollar car
rental right out in front when we got off the ship. Driving in
Mexico is something I do not ever want to do again. I never thought
I'd actually look forward to driving in Southern California again.
Aside from the fear of getting pulled over by a Mexican police
officer and being robbed, the driving is very disorganized and
aggressive. In downtown there are a lot of intersections without
stop signs, and no lane dividers in the streets. And on top of it
all, the highway signs are in Spanish (it's not that Americanized
amigo).

In Mazatlan we went over to Stone Island. It is a very long
beach area with about 10 restraunts for the first half mile along
it and then nothing but palm trees for miles. It's not developed,
all there is to do is ride horses, play on the beach, and eat but
it is a nice area, and it didn't seem like there would be too much
else to do in Mazatlan.

Cabo was by far the prettiest port to visit. I took a bus over
to San Jose Del Cabo which I actually liked better than Cabo as it
was a bit less touristy. In Cabo there are a lot of American
restraunts and shops so you can feel at home or you can feel the
impact of American marketing, however you want to look at it.

Overall I'd say I had an absolutely wonderful time. I would go
on this cruise on this ship again in a heartbeat. Although I think
Carnival is a good company from this experience, I think I would be
more partial to getting on a newer ship as opposed to a certain
cruise line. The design and comfort of the ship were so good. The
ports are neat places, but be somewhat careful with your money and
how you treat people in Mexico. The excursions are a little bit
overpriced but if you don't know Spanish and don't know too much
about the cities it might be a good idea to book with Carnival.

We just came back from the best family vacation ever. We loved
the Pride. It is truly a beautiful ship, very elegant. I was
concerned about the decorating after reading some reviews but found
the ship to be in good taste. After all, art is art.

We had wonderful service the entire time. Sunil, Fernando &
Augusto are the best!! We were constantly met with smiling faces
all over the boat.

I highly recommend the "Las Caletas" excursion. The snorkelling
was unbelievable. There were so many fish and many different
varieties. I have snorkelled in St. John were the water is crystal
clear but very few fish. Here the water wasn't as clear but the
fish more than made up for it. I would also recommend going to the
flea market just off the dock at Puerto Vallarta to sharpen up on
your bartering skills. My husband felt he should pay the people
whatever they asked. But once he walked out the door and found the
price dropped 50% the light went on and we were bartering for
everything.

Matazlan is the place to shop for silver. I wish I had
bought

10 more bracelets ($2-$3) for gifts back home. Cabo San Lucas was
the most beautiful port. I highly recommend Billigan's Island for
the happy hour (12pm-7pm) and for their margaritas. Beware when you
sit down. We felt like "fresh meat" and were swamped with vendors
selling everything from silver to skirts to hair braiding to
picture frames. We said "No gracias" many, many times to the same
people over and over again. They are dear people and are trying to
make a living. Back on the boat my 12 year old made friends so fast
that I only saw her for dinner each night and when she came to bed
and my 5 year old loved Camp Carnival each night after dinner. They
are so kind to the kids. Cruise Director Jeff B., we will miss you.
You made us laugh so hard we cried many times. Have fun on the
Paradise. You will do well wherever you go. Awesome ship, awesome
time, awesome memories.

Just returned yesterday from our 7 day trip on the Carnival
Pride. In one word "Awsome"!!! This was the best vacation we have
every been on, and I have got to give Carnival ten thumbs up!!!

Getting on was very short and easy. We arrived at Long Beach at
10:30 a.m. and were directed by more than one Carnival employee in
port to proceed to the early check in at the Queen Mary. Aprox. 10
minutes in line and we had our Sail and Sign Cards.

The weather in Long Beach was in the mid-eighties and it was
actually a nice wait to board the ship. Marguerita (one of the
Carnival Employees)was very informative and patient with all of the
passengers waiting to board the ship. Even though they requested
that we not go to our cabins until 1:00 p.m. we found our room
(very easily) and were able to drop off out carry on's with out a
problem. (not to hard to find your room by yourself if you know
your deck and cabin #)

After having a quick lunch on the lido deck, we were off to
explore the

ship. What a beaufitul ship she is!!! I was a little worried by
some of the other comments that I have heard about this ship being
"dark", but did not find this the case at all. She is very
tastefully decorated and was not in the least bit offended by the
art work. It was simply beautiful.

Our Aft deck Panorama Deck Cabin (8268) was the best!!! Even
though the weather was warm and sunny the entire trip (except the
last day at sea) we got a break from any wind by being in the
AFT.

Food in the dining room was wonderful, and we must mention
Orlando and Sergeous, they were a great team!!! We did dine one
night at Davis's Supper Club, and although a very nice atmosphere,
we thought the food was equally impressive in the main dining
room.

We have not been to the Mexican Rivera in several years, and
found that all of the ports were truly improved and a pleasure to
visit.

One tour I must mention, is Randi, of Randi's Happy Horses,
which is a private excersion we took in Matzalan. Her tour was a
blast, and her crew was excptional. My husband Terry did not even
feel confortable on a horse until this trip, and now he can't wait
to ride again!!!

All in all we had a great trip, and will definately sail with
Carnival again!

This was my third Carnival Cruise and I came as part of the
promotional member reunion cruise. We were to receive several bonus
items and coupons for discounts on board...as well as special
parties and events.

The gifts never materialized due to shipping error, and the
coupons came late and were not anywhere near the advertised $300
worth, especially for a non drinker non golfer. We are supposed to
receive them by mail and also a $100 credit on account for a future
cruise. In my opinion they should have credited us with that this
time.

Embarkation at Long Beach was long and confusing.Although
promised a special check in line for filling out information on
line this line was no faster than all the others. Upon boarding the
ship there was no one to give directions or escort you to your
cabin. They gave you a map and I guess assumed that you knew where
to go. Of course they answered questions but in a very hurried
manner.

My previous Carnival cruises had had great service, very good
food, fun people, and I would rate them 4 star easily. This one was
not in

the same category. They were understaffed and undermanned and with
the exception of the Cruise/entertainment director and his staff
and the Purser staff the service was very poor. Breakfast buffets
were also poor, but lunch and evening were quite good. Dining room
service was average to poor and the food was good, but not
exceptional. There was only one meet and greet party and it was
overcrowded and smoky.

The weather was cool which didnt make for the greatest beach or
pool time, but was perfect for deck walking and excersise.

In Puerto Vallarta I took the sailing yacht whale watching and
it was worth the price as we spent the morning with 2 Mama's and
their babies. The crew was great on this boat and also fun. They
were very respectful of the whales as well.

In Mazatlan we went into the Sierra Madre...had a great tour
guide and that was also fun but a long day.

In Cabo I just walked and shopped...I enjoy just watching the
yachts and people in Cabo and shopping is fair.

Entertainment on the ship was sporadic. The dancers were only
average but the special effects and costumes were fantastic.
Singers were good but not exceptional.

From previous reviews from the Caribbean Pride trips I believe
that it is either the area or something else that was wrong on this
cruise. It just seemed "snake bit" from the beginning.

Most of the ship maps do not show the laundromats. They are
located in the very rear of each floor and are nice new
machines...however it works out to about $4 per load.

The public rooms seemed dark and there was a lot of
"renaissance" art...which could cause interesting conversations for
people with kids!!...the best art I saw on this ship was art glass
in cases by the staircases.

The casino was excellent, slots were loose and many people were
pleased with their winnings. I met several who had at least not
lost anything, and a lady who won $3200.

I would be reluctant to spend my dollars on Carnival again in
the near future until I hear that they are doing their previous
excellent job. I will be writing them as well. There are just too
many choices out there and personally I prefer RCCL and Holland
America and there is not that much of a price difference.

The Pride was late getting in on Sunday. We waited 1 hour to get
on our transfer to the terminal. ( 30 min drive ) Looonngg line at
the terminal but all went smoothly. Just gotta be patient. Come to
the cruise dressed in whatever you will wear for dinner. You may
not get your luggage until about 7pm. We were lucky and got ours
earlier.

We were in cabin 7190. With extended balcony. We totally enjoyed
this balcony. We were out there every day, coffee in the am,
watched several sunrises and sunsets. Moonlight on the ocean ,
nothing compares! It was breath taking. Very much worth the extra
$. Plenty of storage for my Husband and I. Good water pressure. Had
only 1 complaint re: water. Around day 3 or 4, our water turned
green. Apparently, they have to switch the tanks when this happens.
Just call the reception desk and they will handle the switch. Cabin
steward was fine, room was made up everyday, no problems. Helpful
steward.

Every evening you'll receive Carnival Capers. Telling you

all the activites availbale for the next day. Here's some of what
we did. Bingo, BJ and slot tournamant, art auction, Shows, bands,
emailed, Crystal card room for cards, informational talks, shuffle
board, and lots more. Plenty of silly stuff and more outdoorsy
stuff too.

For weather go to weather.com and get a 10 day forcast. Ours was
great. Hot everywhere. Humid in PV and MAZ. Super in Cabo. As to
exscusions we did the tequila and city tour in PV, and the city and
coastal tours in Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. We wanted to get a
feel for each city. These were good tours. We highly recommend
them. Great tour guides too.

The food in the Normandie Restaurant was superb. We loved it. 2
starter, salad. main dish, dessert, and cappicino or esspresso
every night! Our waiters were wonderful, level 2 Sergei and Kamen.
The sung and danced for us it was great. Bring the video and
camera. The Mermaids Grille was okay. Breakfast was ....breakfast.
Lunch and dinner were better. Plenty of choices. The 24 hour pizza
bar ( La Rustica ) was fabulous. David's Supper club was really
nice. $25 each. We slow danced after the meal. Was very romantic.
In regards to pictures. Bring extra money to purchase these. I
waited til the lst day, bought a bunch and made a deal with the
person selling them to me. I got $10 to $15 dollars off. Pictures
taken on formal nights, at port , leaving the ship and thoughout.
You'll have plenty to choose from.

As to mucic , there is music throughtout the ship. In the Capers
there is always a listing as to who is playing where. We especially
liked the 70's stuff in the Starry Night Louge by Rised Up. They
were great, dance floor too.

As to crew everyone was great, and friendly. The late night
Puser, a gal named Roshni was very nice.

As to the ships decor, everything was beautiful and decorated
for Christmas as well. But it is Renaissance style. Lots of nude
paintings and drawings of people. For kids 6 and up you might have
some explaning to do. But otherwise very nice.

The formals we did were the 2 in the Normandie Monday, Captains
dinner and The Fri, Farwell Gala.

Also, we went to Davids on Tuesday which is formal, jacket
required for the men.

I do recommend the patch or pills for seasickness. Out of 2100
there was 800 kids due to Thanksgiving. But it never bothered us.
This ship is really big. Debarkation was fine. We played cards in
the card room until our color was called.

It was no problem. Our flight was at 2:30pm. We got to the
airport by 11:30. At lunch , played some more cards then went
home.

This experience was awesome. The views at sea incredible. Would
do this again in a heartbeat. We had lots of fun with the activites
and the ports. We also enjoyed our time of relaxation. 7 days was
great and the Pride was wonderful. Good luck to all of you going
soon. I hope you get a balcony!! Email me for any questions. This
trip was a dream come true!